


Midnight Memories

by pinklucozayns



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, American Football, Angst, College, Fluff, M/M, Texas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27970589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinklucozayns/pseuds/pinklucozayns
Summary: A collection of one shots centered around the Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose universe
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Kudos: 7





	1. 1 - Dancing in the Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can't Lose](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5799241) by [dolce_piccante](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolce_piccante/pseuds/dolce_piccante). 



”Alright, boys. You ready to throw down?” Harry was decked in full gear, helmet held against his hip and eye black neatly drawn under his green eyes.

The other three stood in a line, Liam grinning widely while Zayn and Louis stared at one another, completely unsure. Each of them wore their school team’s jersey, Louis and Zayn wearing exact replicas of their boyfriends’.

Louis’ Styles Jersey nearly hung down to his knees while Zayn’s shoulder pads nearly swallowed his small frame, almost covering his chin.

Zayn cleared his throat, one gloved hand held up in question. “Um. Is this a good idea? I don’t play sports. I do art.” Liam picked a helmet off of the ground, kissing his boyfriend’s forehead before placing it on his head. “You’ll do fine.” Louis let out a quiet snort as he put his own helmet on and Zayn sent him a death glare. “What’s so funny?”

”Nothing. I’d just love to see how this works out.” Before anyone could say anything else, Harry stepped in between the two of them. “Okay! Let’s save that for the field. Who’s ready?” The field that, at nearly ten at night, the four of them had snuck onto for a little good old fashioned Sunday night football. “Two teams, you on one side, me and Liam on the other.” Louis’ eyes practically popped out of his head. 

“Now wait a damn minute! In what fucking universe is that fair? Look at us and look at you.” He gestured between the four of them, Liam trying his best to hold in laughter while Zayn crossed his arms, shooting him daggers with his eyes.

“Let’s do this, Lou. Let’s kick their asses.” He couldn’t hold it in anymore. Now Liam was doubled over, tears in his eyes as he broke out into laughter. Harry grinned, giving Louis a quick kiss before putting his own helmet on over his head of curls. 

....

The game was going well. If you were Harry and Liam. They were obviously winning, Zayn getting angrier by the minute. “Totally unfair game.” Louis sat on the ground, his borrowed cleats kicked off beside him. “You’re just mad because you’re not an athlete.” “I’m mad because I’m sweating my ass off, my hair’s shit, and they’re winning.” 

Harry picked up the football, pulling Louis up off the floor and patting Zayn on the back. “Loosen up, buddy. You got this. Now let’s go. Finish this up then we can head home and clean up. Payne, up and at ‘em.” The boys each slid their helmets back on, starting the game back up again.   
  


Zayn awkwardly caught the football with two hands after a throw from Harry to Liam. Completely clueless, he stared down at it. Louis’ eyes widened and he started jumping up and down in just his socked feet, waving his arms around like a maniac. “Throw it! Come on!” And right when he lifted his arm to throw it, he was tackled to the ground by a mass of sweat and shoulder pads. “Ow, asshole!” Liam threw his helmet off, trying to push off of Zayn, only getting them stuck in an odd tangle of limbs. “Sorry! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” 

Harry smiled, grabbing Louis from the other side of the field. “Plan worked. They’re distracted. Wanna go make out against the goal post?” Louis grinned, pulling his helmet off and dropping it on the ground. “Let’s go.”

Harry picked him up, spinning him around. Louis giggling before he wrapped his legs around his waist and they made their way to the goal. Harry held the smaller boy against it, pressing their lips together.

A short distance away, Liam sat on the ground, Zayn pulled facing him in his lap. Zayn sat still, letting his boyfriend poke and prod him like a dead frog in science class. "Does anything hurt? Are your arms and legs okay? Head? Shit, what if you got a concussion?" 

He rolled his eyes, gently pecking Liam's lips. "I'm fine. But you are an idiot. Hey, you two! I wanna go home now!" Quickly, Harry and Louis pulled apart, Louis sliding down the goal post against his back as he was let go to stand on his own two feet. "What? Yeah! We're coming!" Harry smirked, kissing him one last time. "Or we will be." Louis rolled his eyes, making his way over to the other two who were now standing. 

Harry followed, jogging over to them. "All ready to go?" Louis nodded, taking Harry's hand in his. "Liam, carry me." Liam raised an eyebrow at Zayn, looking over at him. "Thought you said you were fine." Zayn pouted, pulling the best puppy dog eyes he could manage. "Carry me. It hurts. Everything." Rolling his eyes with a small smile, he caved into the pressure, crouching down and allowing for Zayn to climb onto his back. 

"Carry me too?" Harry shook his head, starting to run off the field. "Hey! Get back here!" Louis took off after him, holding back his laughter. Liam followed, Zayn laying his head on his now pad free shoulder as they walked. "Same time next week?" "I am never playing football again."


	2. 2 - Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Zayn have dinner at home with their boyfriends. In each case someone is trying his hand at cooking.

Louis stepped into the kitchen of his and Zayn's apartment, just his boyfriend's jersey on and a pair of boxers. It was just the two of them, his best friend on the other side of campus with his own boyfriend at the armadillos' frat house. 

Harry was at the stove, attempting to cook dinner for the two of them. Louis walked up behind him, standing on his toes to kiss the back of his neck. "Thought we were ordering a pizza, babe."

Harry shook his head, focused on the pot of water that he had yet to put the spaghetti noodles in. "Let me cook for you, darling. I know what I'm doing."

Louis smiled, an eyebrow raised skeptically. "Yeah? Rich boy like you knows his way around a kitchen?" "Mhm. Rich boy like me does. Got my momma's recipes down perfectly." Harry turned to his boyfriend, kissing him softly and pulling away before Louis could wrap his arms around his neck. 

"Spaghetti. One of my favorites." Harry dumped the entire box of noodles in the pot, smiling to himself, pride showing on his face. "Didn't think you'd ever had spaghetti before, money bags. You seem like a beef wellington kinda guy." "Hey, the only reason I know what the hell a beef wellington is, is 'cause I watch a lot of Hell's Kitchen."

Louis stifled a laugh, kissing Harry on the cheek. "You're doing great, babe. Gordon Ramsay would be proud." Grinning, Harry held a spoon up to his lips. "Try the sauce. Would he be proud of that?"

Tasting it, Louis' eyes widened. "Holy shit, that's amazing." Harry nodded, trying it himself. "Momma's recipes. Never let me down." 

"Alright, cowboy. No need to show off for everything." Harry smiled, kissing the top of his head before he served them each a plate. "So, we're all alone."

Bright blue eyes rolled so hard Harry thought they'd fall out of Louis' head. "Yes. We're alone. You've said that many times and we've had sex, many times."

"There's always time for more." Before Harry could reach out and pull Louis towards him, the other boy was already sprinting to the couch and grabbing the tv remote. "Nope! We are going to sit and eat and watch that damn spaghetti dog movie like you promised!" 

"Fine! The damn movie is going on. But later. You just look so delicious in my jersey." Harry, knowing he'd do anything for his boyfriend, including abstain from sex, turned on Lady and the Tramp as he made room for Louis to cuddle into his side. 

"Comfortable, baby?" Louis smiled brightly, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Harry's neck. "Comfortable." 

....

Zayn lay in bed, his head on Liam's bare chest. He traced his abs with gentle fingers before tilting his head up to look into his eyes as sweetly and innocently as possible. "Liam. Babe. I'm hungry." Liam smiled and a flicker of an idea shone in his eyes. "What? Why are you looking like that, Payne?" 

Liam cleared his throat, standing to slip on a pair of gray sweatpants. "Let me cook for you, Z." Zayn raised an eyebrow before grabbing a pair shorts too big that they hung low on his hips. 

Liam was staring now, his gaze going from his boyfriend's eyes and traveling lower. Before he could get distracted, he grabbed one of his shirts from the floor, slipping it over Zayn's head. "Can't have any distractions, baby." Zayn rolled his eyes as Liam started making his way down to the kitchen.

Zayn followed, looking around. "You animals really have a kitchen?" Liam nodded, looking through the fridge before turning on the oven. "And you know how to use it!"

Liam glared at him before walking towards Zayn who was currently having a laughing fit and picking him up to sit him on the counter. "Just sit there quietly while I cook."

Zayn swung his legs as he sat on the pristine marble. The kitchen was so neat it was as if nobody had ever used it. And they probably hadn't, the only food coming out of it was cereal and domino's pizza. "Li, what are you doing over there?" He had a perfect view of Liam's back that only blocked the view from what he was making. "Its a surprise."

Once he heard the oven slam shut, he held out his hands for Liam to come over to him. Liam stood between his legs, kissing him gently. "You never let us finish the movie. You're such a distraction." 

Zayn smiled, pressing soft kisses along his boyfriend's neck. "Yeah? Am I?" Liam pulled away, gently holding Zayn's face in his much larger hands. "You are. You know you are. And you get whatever you want because you're so damn pretty." 

"Shut up already and give me a kiss." Not letting go, Liam leaned down to meet his lips, Zayn not being able to contain his wide grin. It wasn't long before things got heated, Zayn being his same distracting self as they made out on the kitchen counter. 

Pushing him away gently, Liam's eyebrows raised. "Burning, it's burning." Zayn let out a short laugh before clearing his throat after Liam shot him a glare. He stayed seated, watching the other boy run to the oven and pull out whatever it was. 

He set it next to Zayn who scooted over to give him enough room. "What the hell is that?" Liam's face was burning red from embarrassment, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Steak? It's steak." 

Zayn laughed, covering his face with both hands when he could no longer contain it or his tears. "Amazing! That is- so good." 

Liam sighed, frowning as he dumped their burnt dinner in the trash. "This sucks. I wanted to do something nice for you." He looked like a kicked puppy and Zayn hopped down from the counter, grabbing both of Liam's hands in his. "You did wonderful, baby. I promise." 

Looking up, Liam smiled a tiny bit, pulling Zayn close to his chest and wrapping his arms around him. "I love you." "Yeah, yeah. Love you too." Before Liam could say anything else, Zayn was slipping out of his arms and making his way back to his bedroom. "I'm getting a pizza!"


	3. 3 - Lie To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn tells the truth.

It was driving him crazy. And everyone could tell something was wrong. It was two days to his and Liam’s two month anniversary and he was getting more and more stressed out by the minute. Now he was stood outside of Starbucks, green apron still around his waist as he slid a cigarette between his lips. Lighting it, he took a long, slow drag before letting out smoke.

One arm wrapped itself around his stomach while he brought the cigarette back up to his lips with his other shaking hand. He couldn’t take it anymore. And now he was getting lost in his thoughts. He looked towards the curb where he and Louis had sat not long before, discussing just how fucked up everything had been that day. The day it all went to shit. The day he finally came to terms with his feelings.

**“ _I started fucking Liam because I wanted to know what was up with Harry,” Zayn said, quiet and low. Louis nodded while he chewed. “And...he’s hot, you know, so...It was enjoyable in a basic, sexual way. But then I…” Zayn sucked a slow drag with his fingers pinched around the end of his ashing cigarette. He flicked ash off. “I started to kind of…” His face dropped, his lips tight. He bit the corner of his mouth. “I started to like him.” He barked a weak laugh as he brought his cigarette to his lips. “I’m a fucking idiot.”_**

A familiar voice cause him to immediately drop it, stomping on it to put it out while he coughed, struggling to get it together. ”Are you okay?” Liam quickly jogged over and Zayn nodded, finally catching his breath and clearing his throat. “I’m- yeah. I’m good. Hey.” Liam raised an eyebrow, confused that Zayn had been deliberately avoiding his gaze. ”Babe, what’s up?” With a slow shake of his head, Zayn turned to start walking back inside. Liam grabbed his wrist with one gentle hand to stop him from walking. “Talk to me. Please.” 

Sighing quietly, Zayn pulled away from his grasp before putting a hand on his cheek. “Just give me a few to close up and I’ll be right out. Okay? I love you.” Then he slipped away, going inside and leaving Liam out in the cold night. The guilt was really getting to him. After a few minutes he had closed up shop, a fake smile on his face as he walked out, jacket pulled tight around himself. He took Liam’s hand in his, the two of them starting to walk. “So, you wanted to talk, yeah?”

”I’m worried about you, Z. What’s going on with you?” Zayn sucked in a breath, his eyes squeezing shut as he stopped walking, dropping Liam’s hand. “Okay. Now this is really important. You need to listen. Let me talk and then you can say whatever you want.” Curious brown eyes caught his own as Liam nodded and Zayn’s heart nearly fell to his shoes. It was all too much for him. He just couldn’t bear to dim the light in that beautiful boy’s eyes. Everything about him was so beautiful and so special and he was going to just destroy it all.

”Listen, I love you. I do. So fucking much, Li. You did so much just to keep me. And I really don’t know why. I’ve never deserved you.” Liam opened his mouth to speak and Zayn shook his head. “Let me finish. I love you but I’m stupid and I’ve been making the biggest fucking mistake since the beginning. I get it if you hate me after this. I was using you. I didn’t... At first I didn’t have any feelings. The sex was just to get information out of you. A-about Harry.”   
  
That was it. Zayn could see the sadness in his eyes. He could hear his heart shattering. As he reached out to touch him, Liam backed away. “What? You just wanted information? About my best friend? For what? So you could destroy him? Keep him away from Louis?” Zayn frowned, anxiously biting his lip. "Liam, please. Just stop. I wanted to protect him and-"

"And you hurt me to do it. You're an amazing friend. Truly." Before Zayn could say anything else, Liam had already taken off. 

....

Today was the day. Instead of being happy and preparing for a nice night out with his boyfriend like they had planned, Zayn was laying in bed running on only four hours of sleep combined with the night before. 

He had already smoked through almost two packs, the stress getting to be too much for him. Even worse, he hadn't eaten since his lunch break the day before. He felt numb and couldn't even imagine how Liam was feeling. 

He was an idiot. A fucked up idiot. He'd hurt the one person he loved most in the world. Tore up his heart like it was a piece of paper. 

"Zayn, get up. You need to eat. Or do something." Louis stood in the doorway of his bedroom, a plate in his hands. "Leave me alone. I'm not hungry."

The plate was set down on the nighstand with a loud clatter. "Shut up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Please." He sat up, staring at Louis, his eyes bloodshot from crying over his mistakes. "I fucked up, Lou."

"I know. Now you can fix it." Zayn opened his mouth to speak when a shirt hit him in the face. "Get dressed, bring your boyfriend the flowers I left on the kitchen table. Now. That's not a question or a suggestion, it's a demand." 

....

He was nervous, his hands shaking around the bouquet of roses. He hated roses but it was just like their second date. Roses, art, dinner. Two things familiar to him and something he had brought himself to love because of the boy he loved. 

Now he stood outside of the frat house, one hand raised to knock on the door. "Come on, Zayn. Knock. You got this." And he did. A few seconds passed. Nothing. Then slowly, the door opened. 

"He um- Harry convinced me to open the door for you." Liam spoke softly, not wanting to look up just yet. "Well, hi. I brought roses.. for you." Zayn held them out, head turned to look in the opposite direction. "Thanks." 

Slowly, Liam took them, their fingers brushing just for a second. Zayn almost started sobbing at that, the slight touched just bringing back memories of everything he was missing in the last two days. 

"I-" "Do you-" They both started speaking at the same time, Liam's face turning a bright red. "You go first." "I love you, Liam. I promise I do. Our first date, I admit that was just sex. But I felt something that night. You were perfect. So nice and funny. Cute. Everything about you was just incredible." 

Liam wanted to smile. But he didn't. He held it in. He was going to let Zayn finish. "And then I knew that I really did like you. It was more than just me using you to do some stupid selfish shit against your best friend, I swear. I loved you and I still do. I get it if you don't want me anymore or if you want me out of your life for-" 

He was cut off when Liam kissed him, the roses falling to the ground between them. Zayn's arms flew up to wrap around Liam's neck while Liam's hands rested on his hips. They pulled apart after what felt like forever, Liam with a huge grin on his face. "I want you in my life forever. You're a huge idiot but I forgive you. I love you more than anything."

"I love you too. I really do." Harry stood in the doorway, smiling before he stepped out, grabbing the flowers from between them. "Nice flowers." He handed Liam his jacket before walking backwards towards the house. "I texted you the directions, Liam. You two have a restaurant to get to."


End file.
